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Past Exhibitions

Leiko Ikemura: Usagi in Wonderland

18 Jul - 12 Dec 2021

Japanese-Swiss artist, Leiko Ikemura, presents a selection of 50 paintings, sculptures, drawings and photography in her first UK exhibition.

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Tickets: £8 or FREE for Members and UEA/NUA Student Members* (plus £1.50 booking fee for non-members)

Concessions available

50% off for under 18's, full-time students & Art Fund Members

Tickets must be pre-booked online before arrival with a specific time slot

There is restricted access to wheelchair users on the Mezzanine Gallery**

Japanese-Swiss artist, Leiko Ikemura, presents her first UK exhibition. Usagi in Wonderland showcases a retrospective collection of 50 works spanning three decades of Ikemura’s career, from early paintings, drawings and sculptures through to her most recent never-seen-before cast glass figures (2020).

The exhibition explores the theme of nature and the connectivity of all forms of life, whether that be humans, animals, plants or minerals. There is both fragility and innocence in Ikemura’s empathetic portrayal of global issues, such as climate and evolutionary change. Her art appeals to our imagination with its childlike purity.

Another highlight of the exhibition are Ikemura’s spirit-like ‘Girl’ figures, with ceramic and bronze figures featured alongside enigmatic paintings and drawings.

Usagi, meaning ‘rabbit’ in Japanese, is a recurrent mystical motif in Ikemura’s work, representing rebirth, fertility and renewal. Her bronze sculpture, Usagi Kannon (Rabbit Bodhisattva of Mercy), will stand in the Sculpture Park from 22 November, providing a place of refuge to visitors wishing to shelter beneath its generous skirt.

*Student tickets: Please ensure you have signed up as Member prior to booking your ticket. Find out more here
Existing Members: Please ensure you have signed up for an online Member’s account to access your free ticket(s) online.

 

 

Image Credit: Trees out of Head, Leiko Ikemura, 2015/20 © Leiko Ikemura and VG Bild-Kunst 2021

Quote from Leiko Ikemura.

The exhibition has been developed in collaboration with the Sainsbury Institute to coincide with the Japan-UK Season of Culture.

Supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation, Japan-UK Season of Culture, Toshiba International Foundation, Ikemura Foundation and the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures.

 

 

Access Information:

**The Sainsbury Centre is accessible to disabled visitors including those with limited mobility and those accompanying them, with the exception of the Mezzanine Gallery where this exhibition is displayed. The Sainsbury Centre is a Grade II* Listed building. Due to Fire Safety regulations, we regret we are unable to allow visitors access to the Mezzanine Gallery who are unable to independently navigate the steep spiral staircase in the event of an evacuation. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Gallery

  • A visitor takes a closer look at Ikemura's Moo, 1993, and other paintings. Photo: Andi Sapey
  • Leiko Ikemura, Yellow Figure with Hummingbird, 2020 © Leiko Ikemura and VG Bild-Kunst 2021. Photo: Andi Sapey
  • Visitor looking at Leiko Ikemura's Sinus Spring, 2018. Photo: Andi Sapey
  • Sculptures by Leiko Ikemura on view at the Sainsbury Centre
    Leiko Ikemura's White Figure with Blue Miko, 1996, Yellow Figure with Three Arms, 1996/2019, and Standing, 1995, on view at the Centre's exhibition. Photo: Andi Sapey

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